


Put a Ring On It

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol for scientific purposes, Background Will Solace/Nico di Angelo - Freeform, Demigods are bad spies, Domesticity, F/M, Gen, Jason does not drink but he takes one for the team because science, Not Burning Maze compliant, Scheming, Shadow Travel, Shenanigans, Tequila, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-02 14:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19443031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: Jason is recruited to help Percy discover Annabeth's ring size, but what should have been a relatively easy task turns into what Piper deems, "the Rube Goldberg tier of romance schemes."





	1. Scheme

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up, there is recreational drinking in this story, but nobody goes overboard or gets hurt during such :) Happy birthday, Jason!

“Jason,” Percy squeaks into the phone, “Jason, help.”

Jason’s response is barely more than a confused grumble as he answers.

“Jason, man, wake up. I need your help.”

“What?”

“Help!”

Jason sighs, wondering if he’s about to get pulled into another stupid quest. He’s so done with quests. He just wants a nap. And a latte, if he’s being picky. “Are you dying?”

“No. But my relationship might if you don’t HELP ME RIGHT NOW.”

“Jeez, okay.” He sits up. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Percy argues. “I’m – well, okay, I did sort of do something. I tried to get Annabeth’s ring size, and then I got it, but I did – I didn’t.”

There’s a beat, and then Jason realizes that’s Percy’s version of an explanation. “What.”

“I’m trying to get her ring size,” Percy says, regrouping himself. “But I talked to my mom and she said that, if I wanted to do it right, I needed to get her ring size instead of just guessing. Do you know how hard it is to get her ring size without her realizing, Jason? I almost gave up on proposing!"

Jason rubs a hand over his face. “Why did you need to call me this early?”

“Because Annabeth is going to Georgia Monday night and I forgot to call you on Friday because Estelle had her kindergarten promotion ceremony or whatever, and I want to actually propose when she gets back because, you know, it’s her first mortal building and I want to have the whole thing done before she has that grand opening party.” He pauses. “But, yeah. Help?”

Jason sighs. “Yeah, what do you need me to do? Distract her?”

“Yes, of course, but not yet. Right now I’m trying to figure out her ring size.”

“Shouldn’t you figure out the kind of ring she wants first?”

Percy sighs. “Well, I know that.”

“And not the ring size?”

“The only time we talked about the specifics of the ring was when we were both drunk off our asses. And then I totally forgot the next morning. Luckily I had the picture she showed me still on my phone. Ring size, though? Screwed.”

“And you can’t just ask her again because…?”

Percy huffs. “It has to be a surprise! Also, I don’t want her to know I forgot. I feel really bad about that. But it needs to come up around somebody else, and if Grover has free time, I’m sure he and Juniper want to spend time together.”

“How is Lilac?” Jason asks.

“She’s better,” Percy replies, “acting like the bouncing baby, er, shrub that she is. That early frost in October almost got her, but she recovered.”

Jason smiles. “Glad to hear it. She’s really cute when she’s not screaming.”

“Very true,” Percy agrees. “So, today?”

“Okay,” Jason says. Piper is still dead asleep next to him, snoring softly, “but if there are any negative consequences to this, I’m suing you.”

“Yeah, okay, public defender,” Percy grumbles. “Let’s get breakfast and talk somewhere that Annabeth can’t hear.”

“She – you’re at home?”

“Fire escape,” Percy says. “Annabeth’s in the shower.”

“Isn’t it, like, twenty degrees in New York winter?”

“Technically, today, it’s twenty three, but, yes. It’s cold. Bring a coat.”

Jason hears a clanking noise, and, faintly, “What – what are you doing outside?!” on Percy’s end.

“I gotta go,” Percy says, keeping his voice low. “I already texted Nico, so he should expect your message.”

“You texted…?”

“Mom got me and Nico and Annabeth those pay per minutes used phones. It works – the monsters struggle to track it with all the smartphone interference. It’s so low tech it actually helps it shield itself. You should get one.” There’s another sound. “And now I’m gone before Annabeth drags me inside. What is she -.” A pause on Percy’s end. “Oh, she – she dropped her towel. I’m –” He hangs up the phone.

Jason wants nothing more than to fall back asleep, curl around Piper and the pillows, but instead he gets up.

“No, come back,” Piper murmurs, voice garbled from the pillow and her night guard. “You’re warm.”

“It’s California,” Jason laughs. “It’s always warm.”

“Where?” she asks, but it sounds a little more like, “whale.”

“New York,” he says, and stops himself before adding “to Percy’s place,” just in case this is supposed to be under need to know only status. “I’ll be back tonight, babe, okay?”

She opens one eye. “You’re not cheating on me with that tiger at the zoo again, are you?” Her voice is slurred with sleep and her night guard.

Jason laughs and leans down to kiss her forehead. “I still feel bad denying that tiger’s affections.”

“He can’t have you,” Piper says, closing her eyes again and patting him on the cheek. “You’re my beautiful tiger eagle man.” Then, as she closes her eyes, she lets out a weird little mumble.

Jason can’t hold back the laugh. “Love you, too.”

~

“I still think this is a stupid idea,” Nico says. The Iris Message isn’t particularly strong right now, but Jason can see him okay, though the picture in the back of him and Piper at Camp Jupiter kind of blurs through in a weird way.

“Please?” Jason asks.

“The last time we did this you passed out on top of me and Piper took pictures.” Nico – Nico is actually pouting. “Will won’t take it off the stupid wall.”

“But it does look good next to your prom pictures,” Jason adds, because he has to.

Nico frowns. “Aren’t you supposed to be convincing me to help you? This feels more like you want me to leave and –” He moves as if to swipe away the mist.

“Ugh, fine,” Jason says. “I won’t taunt you for your sunshine happiness love. Please will you shadow travel me to New York, my incredible cousin who is probably more powerful than me and is technically my elder.”

Nico sighs. “You’re lucky I’ve gotten better at this.” With an eye roll, Nico disappears into the shadows –

And there’s knocking in the linen closet.

“What – Nico?!”

“Get me out of here,” Nico says, sounding surprisingly deadpan for someone who is probably inside a laundry basket right now. “Your pillowcase is literally in my nose.”

Jason pulls him out of the tiny closet and Nico yawns, rummaging through his pocket. He pulls out a pill, orange and cloudy like a sunset over a beach. He wakes up as he puts it in his mouth.

“Got the right dosage finally?” Jason asks.

Nico nods. “Three trials before we perfected it, Will actually set my toes on fire, so, this wasn’t without sacrifice.” He wrinkles his nose. “The concentrate ambrosia isn’t as good as the real stuff, though.”

“Did your toes heal?”

Nico shrugs. “Seems it. Let’s get you to New York before I start falling asleep.” He rests a hand on Jason’s shoulder, and Jason feels the not-quite-familiar swoop in his gut as he swirls through darkness.

He lands next to Percy’s apartment building in a set back corner, and darts out of the space just in time for him to throw up into a dumpster.

“I hate that,” he groans. “So much.”

Nico grins at him. “Shadow sickness, car sickness. It’s all the same thing.”

Jason wrinkles his nose. “I think you enjoy this too much.”

“It’s the one thing I can do better than you, Superman,” Nico replies.

“Shadow travel?”

“Keep my composure,” Nico corrects. “If you float yourself up here,” he gestures to the fire escape, “three floors, you’ll be by their apartment.”

“Great,” Jason says, “let’s just hope they have water I can chug.”

Nico yawns again. “I’m going to go back to camp. Hopefully I’ll be awake in time for you to get you back home.” He points at Jason. “You and Percy owe me huge for this. I expect loads of praise at their wedding.”

Jason sighs. “I guess I can convince Grover to put it in his best man speech.”

He lands on the fire escape and thanks everything possible that he doesn’t get flight sick, and peeks into the window. It’s Percy and Annabeth’s bedroom, and he’s lucky that it’s Percy who catches a glimpse of him.

Percy’s eyes widen and he pulls Annabeth into a kiss, pointing downwards in an awkward, frenetic gesture. Jason decides to assume it means to meet him in the lobby.

It does, and Percy runs into him as he’s drinking a water he grabbed from the vending machine.

“We would make horrible spies,” Percy says, running his hand through his hair.

“I mean, yeah,” Jason says, “you ever hear of the original Perseus going on covert missions?”

They dart over to coffee shop, and plan what Jason decides is the best scheme in history.

“You sure you want to do this?” Percy asks. “Because I know –”

Jason waves it off. “I’m not my mother. Plus, it’s one night, and I really doubt I’ll want to do it again after all the horror stories I’ve heard about tequila.”

Percy nods, wrinkling up his face. “I still don’t know why Annabeth likes tequila. Though, it is better than beer.” He shudders. “And shots! Ugh. Shots are really only fun when they’re body shots.”

“Yep, we can stop right there,” Jason says, not wanting that mental image to pop up. “Operation Telephone is ready.”

Percy blinks. “Telephone?”

“Yeah, because ringing, telephone, engagement ring.”

Percy quirks a single eyebrow.

“Shut up, I think it’s cool.”

~

It’s the most convoluted plan in history, and it doesn’t work.

Percy and Annabeth are actually used to this whole drinking thing, and Jason’s had nothing except for a few hard ciders at various dinners (because cider actually tastes good and not like toilet cleaner) and a glass of champagne on Piper’s last birthday.

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Annabeth says, her eyes bright with the effects of tequila, “but I’m still surprised you wanted to go rogue.”

“It was a rough week at work,” Jason says, and, honestly, it’s not a lie. “Defended a kid who stole from the local Target, except it was to get formula for his baby sister, so, like.” He shrugs. “I don’t know. I know it’s my job, but sometimes it just sucks.”

Percy pats him on the shoulder. “Do you feel any better?”

“Not in the slightest,” Jason says, and he burps before he can keep it under control. “Gross. Sorry. Excuse me.” He yawns. “Plus, I’m kind of more tired than I was before.” He frowns. “Oh, I have to pee again.” He stands up, wobbling a little. “Why is the room spinning?”

“You sure you don’t want to stay over?”

“It’s midnight,” Jason says, “I got to go home to Piper.” He sighs. “Gods, she’s pretty.”

Annabeth quirks an eyebrow, looking way too aware of things. “Let’s get Nico over here. I have a feeling you’re not going to feel so hot in a few minutes. She looks over at Percy, who pulls out a drachma.

When he comes out of the bathroom, there’s water on the floor in front of Percy and Annabeth at the sink, and they’re giggling.

“What – do I want to know?”

“The mist setting got funky,” Annabeth says, “and Percy managed to soak himself for the first time since that time junior year of college.”

Percy blushes furiously. “That was – we don’t talk about it.” He frowns. “Wet denim is so gross.”

“You’re telling me,” Annabeth replies, and then she turns to Jason. “Nico’ll be here soon. Do you want some more water before you go?”

Jason nods, his head calming down from its initial spinning. “Definitely.”

~

Nico gets there a minute and a half later, showing up in the shadow behind Percy and Annabeth’s couch.

“See?” Nico says, gesturing, “that’s how you set up a place for shadow travel. “Nobody gets stuck.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry you were stuck in the closet,” Jason replies.

Nico snickers.

“What?”

Nico all out laughs. “Oh, you straights and your ability to accidentally make gay jokes. Come on, you weirdo, let’s go.”

Jason nods. “Bye-bye. We shall see you later!”

“He’s talking weird,” Nico says, turning to Percy. “If he pukes on me, you are buying me, like, an entire new wardrobe.”

Percy salutes. “Yes sir.”

With a spin of pressing darkness that doesn’t actually feel too unlike when Jason got up to go to the bathroom, they shadow travel back to California, and, this time, they land on the doorstep of Jason and Piper’s place.

“Oh no,” Nico says, and his yawn is big enough that Jason has to catch him. “I think I’m over shadow traveled.”

“The guest room is all set up, buddy.” He claps Nico on the back, only to have to catch him again so he doesn’t tip over.”

“Thanks,” Nico manages before slumping over and landing his head on Jason’s chest, snoring.

“I thought I heard my – why is this not the first time this has happened?” Piper’s standing in the doorway, looking a combination of amused and unimpressed.

“Hi!” Jason says. “I have a Nico.”

Piper helps Jason bring Nico into their guest room, which is really their office, which is also their mini gym, and Jason watches, a little dopey as she gets Nico situated and then Iris messages Will.

“Hey, guys,” Will says. “He fell asleep, didn’t he?”

“Yep,” Jason says, “but he’s been a great friend. He’s so great.”

Will looks like he’s trying to stifle a smile. “Um, Pipes? You might want to turn around.”

Jason suddenly realizes that things are slightly not right. “Are – why are you upside down?!” Piper asks, laughing. “That’s pretty impressive. It’s like you’ve strung yourself up by your toes. I thought that was only something that happened in books.”

“You’d be surprised what dopey demigods can do when they’re not in their right minds,” Will says, a little half smile on his lips. “Once Nico was so tired he fell asleep at dinner and crawled into my lap like this angry little puppy.”

Piper laughs. “He’ll kill you for telling us that.”

“But it’s so cute,” Jason says. “I can’t get right side up for some reason.”

“I’ll send him tomorrow, Will,” Piper says. “I have to help dopey over here.”

Piper helps Jason right himself, which is not easy, if Jason says so, because his feet decided to just stay where they were. When he gets steady, the spinning hits him in a different way.

“Oh, no,” Jason says. “Oh, I don’t think I like tequila. It reminds me of shadow travel.”

“Ah,” Piper says, “that explains they dopeyness. What’s the reason?”

As they have bowls of cereal in the kitchen, Jason explains the plan. Piper lets him speak, just watches him carefully as she fills two large water bottles and starts to lead him toward their room.

He stumbles trying to find the light in the hallway.

“I have no idea,” Piper begins, a slight laugh in her voice as she pushes open their bedroom door, “why you didn’t just think to ask me instead of getting yourself into this mess.”

“In my defense, tequila shots are really fun and I did not expect her to make it a weird competition. I also didn’t expect her to challenge me.” He frowns. “She’s had a rough week at work. Maybe I should have expected that.”

“You think?” Piper deadpans. “This is Annabeth Chase we’re talking about. Even height is competitive.” She helps him get his jacket off, because he can’t figure out zippers right now. “Why tequila shots?”

“Environmental triggers!” Jason says, but it’s closer to a whine than actual speech. “I came up with this – oops, that was the lamp – theory that Annabeth would be able to say the exact same thing she said to Percy if we replicated nearly identical circumstances and I asked the questions he did.”

Piper looks up from where she’s pulling Advil out of a cabinet “Again,” she says slowly, “I have no idea why you did the Rube Goldberg tier of romance schemes instead of just asking her best friend. Who you happen to be living with.”

He grins up at her. “You know you’re beautiful, right? I never noticed how pretty your ears are.”

“Oh, god,” Piper says, dropping her head into her hands. “Why did you think this would work?”

“I don’t really know how alcohol works,” Jason says. “Also, why is tequila so squishy?”

Piper blinks at him. “Squ-squishy?!”

“Squishy,” he replies, because he’s not sure what’s so confusing about that. “Like, it’s squishy. Water isn’t squishy. Soda isn’t squishy. It’s like – like drinking the stuff the little kids make all the time.” He searches for the word. “Slime.”

“Slime,” Piper repeats.

“Piper,” he says, very seriously, “I’m glad I don’t drink, because alcohol is disgusting.”

“I mean, yeah,” she says, shrugging. “I’d rather coffee.”

Jason sighs, melting down into the softness of their mattress. When did they get to their bedroom? “I love coffee. I love you.” He turns to Piper. “What’s your ring size?”

“Fuckin – not right now, Jason.”

~

“So this is what they mean when they talk about hangovers,” Jason mumbles, practically stumbling into the kitchen. He was only drawn out of the darkness of their room by the smell of coffee. Sweet, beautiful, black coffee. When he opens an eye, wincing at the light coming from the kitchen window, Piper is leaning against the fridge with a smug look on her face, holding out a coffee mug to him. It’s the one that just says Nope in fancy blue font. That’s a good choice. His entire body is Nope right now.

“Yep,” Piper says.

“I think this is my only time with alcohol.”

Piper nods. There’s a strange sort of glimmer in her eye, and Jason both wants to ask what the heck it means and doesn’t want to know anything ever again. “I ran to the store while you were asleep – it’s ten in the morning, by the way, but you haven’t gotten any emergency calls – and picked up some hangover support.” She nods over to the fridge.

“No,” Jason says, voice tiny.

“No?”

“There’s light in the fridge,” he says, and all Piper does is laugh at him.

"Nico made the coffee, so it's actually good for once."

"Your coffee is fine," Jason lies. "He still here?"

Piper shakes her head. "He said, and I quote, 'I kind of hate how nice your guest bedroom is,' and then zipped off home."

Jason closes his eyes as he reaches in the fridge. He feels around.

"Just open your eyes!" Piper insists.

He does, and he tries not to whimper at glare. He grabs Gatorade, crackers and, some peanut butter, hoping that one of the three will help him feel better. 

“You rest and sleep,” she says, “I’ve got to run some errands, drop some stuff off at Dad’s house. Mellie’s got some questions about the estate or whatever.” She leans in and presses a kiss to his forehead. “And, also, take a shower. Not just because you smell like tequila and mistakes – it actually helps with the hangover.”

“The smell?”

“No, you dope,” Piper laughs, throwing a towel at him. “The shower.”

“Right.” He nods. “Shower. Got it.”

\---

Piper is weirdly peppy when she gets back, which is sort of annoying when Jason’s entire body feels like there’s little gremlins poking at him.

He might still be a little drunk.

“What’s got you so perky?”

“You’ll find out later,” Piper singsongs. “Go back to sleep.”

He does, because Piper always has the best ideas.

And he stays asleep, save for water and saltines and listening to Piper read her notes and files out loud to herself as she works, until his phone rings.

“I wonder who that could be,” Piper says in a singsong. She’s grinning again as she checks her watch. “Seven twenty-four. I thought she would have held out for a few more hours.”

Jason has no idea what she means, so he just rolls over and grabs at his phone.

“Jackson, you have woken me up from a hangover sleep, so this better be good.”

“Jason,” Percy says over the phone, and he sounds sort of lost. “Jason, I have news.”

“Yeah?” Jason asks. After the naps, Gatorade, and Advil, he’s feeling a little better, but his stomach still feels like it’s doing cartwheels and his eyes just…hurt. “What happened?”

“Um,” he says, “you know how my plan was to propose when Annabeth got back from Georgia?”

“You couldn’t wait and did it tonight, didn’t you.”

Percy laughs, a little nervously. “Uh, no.”

“No?”

“As usual, Annabeth was ten steps ahead of me.”

Jason tries to figure out what he means. “Dude, my head is still pounding from the tequila. You’ll need to spell it out for me.”

“Annabeth proposed to me two hours ago. And I said yes.”


	2. Subtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole shenanigans from chapter 1 - but from Piper's perspective.

The day is normal. It’s quiet, it’s boring. Nothing is happening.

Which is why Piper should have expected Annabeth to pop into the mist in her shower.

She only shrieks briefly this time, and then glares. “Annabeth, why do you always Iris message me when I’m in the shower?!”

“Because I have impeccable timing,” Annabeth replies. “Also, you shower every morning between six and six thirty am for about ten minutes.”

“I hate that you know that,” Piper replies. “So, what’s up? What requires you interrupting my only time alone that I – prior to your technique – would not get interrupted during?”

“That’s actually why I’m talking to you now. I need your help.”

“With what?”

Annabeth’s faces goes all sunny, like it does whenever she’s thinking about Percy. “I’m gonna propose.”

The shampoo bottle slips out of Piper's hand, landing on her toe. “That’s – ow, fuck, that hurts like a bitch – that’s awesome!”

Annabeth giggles. “I know. He’ll never see it coming.”

“Why now?”

“Because he’s asked me a couple days ago what my ring size is,” Annabeth replies. “That boy’s got the subtlety of a tank.”

Piper can’t help but laugh. “So you’re trying to beat him at his own game.”

“Of course,” Annabeth replies, grinning. “Plus, I’ve always wanted to propose to him. Our relationship has been such a pain in the past, I figured I could make this something easy, something he doesn’t have to think about.”

“That is aggressively cute,” Piper replies. “When do you think you’re going to do it?”

“You know how I have that building meeting next Monday?” Annabeth asks. “Well, I’m going to do it the night before I leave, so that we can hang out the day after.” She winks.

“Oh, Annabeth,” Piper says, laughing, “I don’t actually need to hear that many details.”

“I didn’t tell you anything about the next lingerie I –”

“I will wipe away this mist right now,” Piper says, trying to sound stern.

Annabeth raises an eyebrow. “Sure you would. Anyway, I want to do it before the building, you know? He’s more important to me than that building, and our family is going to come first. I want to show that.”

Piper smiles. “You’ve really thought about this for a while, haven’t you.”

Annabeth nods. “We already know we want to spend forever together. This way I just – I get to make it even clearer.”

“Gross,” Piper says, grinning. “This may be even cuter than that judo flip moment.”

Annabeth chuckles. “Well, that was very spur of the moment.” Then, an alarm rings on Annabeth’s end. “Oh, I have to go,” Annabeth says, “I’m getting out of work early so I can make it to Estelle’s kindergarten graduation, so my lunch is, like, ten minutes today.”

“Did you eat anything?!” Piper asks. “And why are you taking your lunch at nine twenty?”

“Because I got here at five, and this way I can leave at one so I can get to Estelle’s school by two,” Annabeth replies, like it’s not the nuttiest thing anybody has ever said.

“Do you sleep?”

“Occasionally,” Annabeth replies, and Piper’s worried she may not be kidding. “I’ll call you tonight!”

And she’s gone.

Piper gets another five seconds of peace before Jason knocks on her door.

“Pipes?” he asks. “Are you talking to someone or…?”

“Annabeth Iris Messaged me again,” Piper replies. “I do not know what possessed her to do so.”

She hears the door close.

“Well, if she can distract you…”

“Okay, see, but – okay, coming into the bathroom already naked is just playing dirty.”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “We can get dirty if you want.”

She rolls her eyes and grabs his hand, pulling him into the shower. “Ugh, Captain America, stop trying to be all sultry and just get in here.”

She’s twenty minutes late for class, but it’s the one she’s acing that’s also eight percent common sense (why does she need to take an actual class on how to interact with families, again?) so she’s not too worried.

~

Piper wakes up Saturday morning with a vague memory of tigers, Jason, and possibly a phone call. When she finds herself in an empty bed, she realizes her dream actually happened.

“Darn,” she grumbles. She makes coffee and a bowl of cereal, pausing briefly on her way to the kitchen to stare at the pile of pillow cases on the floor in the hallway. “I don’t want to know,” she tells herself.

In the middle of coffee, she notices the sound.

“Yes, I accept the message,” she sighs. “Hey, Annabeth.”

“Hey,” Annabeth says. “Why’s your boyfriend here?”

“He – oh, right.” Piper nods. “Right. Of course that’s where he ended up. At this point, I have no idea why I am ever surprised.”

“Seriously,” Annabeth says, “I saw Percy out on the fire escape half an hour ago, and he was talking to somebody. The only person who could get up there without making a racket is Jason.”

Piper raises an eyebrow. “And why did you just call me now?”

“Had to make Percy think I didn’t notice anything,” she replies, grinning. “Also, I got naked.”

“Stop talking,” Piper laughs. “I don’t need to know the specific details.”

Annabeth laughs. ”It’s rare that we’re both in the same place at the same time lately. He’s supposed to be here right now, but,” she looks out the door, “looks like he left with Jason. I think he said he was running errands, but that’s almost definitely a cover. That boy can’t lie for the life of him.”

“Which is probably a good thing.” Piper eats her cereal while Annabeth verbalizes all possibilities.

“Wait,” she says, “do you think – no. Maybe. You think he could…I doubt it. Do you agree?”

“I can’t know if I think what you think I think, because I don’t know what your brain is doing.”

Annabeth blinks. “Right. Um, do you think he’s planning on proposing?”

Piper considers it. “Well, I feel like he’d be more transparent if he was actually trying to propose.”

“He did ask me about rings the other day,” she muses, “but we were both drinking so I don’t know if he remembers, or if he was even serious.” She frowns. “I might be overreacting.”

“Maybe,” Piper replies. “Because you never overreact.”

“Stop with the sarcasm,” Annabeth says. “What do you think I should do for the proposal?”

~

“He’s being transparent,” Annabeth says.

“I find it weird that you have appeared in my glass of Merlot, but this somehow isn’t the strangest thing in my life,” Piper says, sighing. “What’s going on?”

“Damn it, Piper, I think he knows,” Annabeth whispers. Piper guesses she’s in the bathroom

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Jason’s here,” Annabeth replies. “Like, in my house, here. I think he’s here for a cover mission.”

“What makes you think that?”

Annabeth looks back out the bathroom door to make sure Percy and Jason are still in the kitchen talking about Pokemon, and, yeah, Piper can hear Percy yelling about Squirtle.

“Jason’s asking weird questions.”

“Like what?”

“What kind of rings I would like.”

“Okay, yeah,” Piper says, sighing. “That sounds like they are using just enough brain cells to come up with a plan and not enough to execute it. But that’s good – it means he hasn’t gotten the ring.” She grins. “That means you’ll still get there before he does.”

“Let’s hope,” Annabeth replies. “I think I’m going to do it tomorrow. That way I know I get there first.”

Piper laughs. “God, you’re competitive.”

Annabeth shrugs. “It’s part of my charm.” Piper hears a thud in the background. “Oh, I gotta go. They’re about to do tequila shots.”

“Tequila – WHAT ARE YOU –”

~

The amount of drunk Jason she encounters later is a strange hybrid of hilarious and pathetic, but is offset by a sleepy Nico, who passes out in their guest room like a sleepy puppy.

Jason curls around her in his sleep, alternating between snoring and muttering something about Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu. She manages to get some sleep, though, and, when she can’t, she catches up on some reading.

It’s seven when she decides sleeping isn’t going to happen anymore, so she gets up and goes to the mom and pop shop down the street to pick up some hangover cures. Her hangovers usually require a lot of grease, so she gets ingredients for grilled cheese, but she also picks up Gatorade, saltines, and everything else she’s heard of.

When she gets back, Nico and Jason are still sleeping, so she takes the time to shower and get dressed.

She hears rustling in the kitchen, and goes to find Nico in the kitchen, making coffee.

“Hey, kid,” Piper says. “Making us coffee?”

He smiles at her. “You gave me a place to stay. Of course I’ll make you coffee.”

She shrugs. “It’ll be better than mine. I always seem to burn it.”

“That’s because your coffee maker’s water is too hot,” he says, and he adjusts the machine to just below boiling. “There. That should be better.”

“I’ll trust you on that one.”

They drink coffee in silence for a little bit, and it grows more comfortable as the seconds pass. Piper’s finally gotten Nico to feel safe around her, which she understands. But this was only the third time he’s stayed at her place, and the first time he’s lingered around for coffee.

“Want more?” Nico asks.

Piper nods. “Please.”

He pours. “You know, it’s weird,” he muses. “Before you, I’ve never had a platonic morning with somebody outside my family.”

“That is both devastating and expected,” Piper replies. “But that implies you’re having some decidedly nonplatonic mornings with Will.” She eyes him over the edge of her coffee mug.

Nico blushes when he realizes what he’s implied, and Piper lets herself enjoy it for a second. “I mean, yeah,” Nico says. “Will’s school isn’t picky about visitors, so I can go whenever I want.” He lets a little grin on his lips. “And with Shadow Travel, it’s easy.”

Piper grins at him. “You spend most nights with him, don’t you.”

Nico opens his mouth, closes it, and then opens it again to say, “Yeah.”

“I’m really happy you two are still doing well.” She takes the coffee from him. “I know that breakup was rough a couple years back.”

He shrugs. “It made sense. We both needed to get a better idea of who we are outside of the two of us, you know? Now we know.”

“God, you’re so mature,” Piper laughs, quiet. “Jason and I were slightly bigger idiots when it came to realizing all of that.”

“Well, not everybody can be Percy and Annabeth.” Nico rolls his eyes, but with a smile.

“Speaking of the two of them,” Piper says, glancing over to her bedroom to make sure Jason is still asleep. He is. “From what I understand, Percy and Annabeth are both planning on proposing but neither is sure of it. I don’t even think Percy knows.”

Nico’s eyes go wide. He sets down his coffee mug, and gets himself comfortable in one of the kitchen chairs. “I usually pretend not to care about this, but the bass ackwards nature of this intrigues me. Tell me everything.”

~

Nico heads out around ten, and Jason wakes up not to long after it when Nico’s second pot of coffee starts to brew.

She hears him bustling around, so she makes him a cup of coffee the way he likes (which is basically just pouring it into a mug and leaving it alone), and tries not to be too smug when she sees him. She could be smug last night – he was too drunk to notice. But now, he’ll know she’s smug.

He looks like hell and smells like a bar, but she decides he’s well enough that she can head out and call Annabeth to go over anything she needs and, inevitably, get her to shut up when her nerves and overthinking start to take over her ideas. She gives him a kiss on the forehead, trying to not find it mildly entertaining, and she ducks out the door.

Piper swings by the local Starbucks where Lily, a barista she’s befriended, hands her the store phone. Piper gets an iced americano and tips an extra fifteen dollars.

“Annabeth?” Piper says. “Do you have anything you’re freaking out about?”

“What if he says no?” Annabeth says, spitting it out at a speed that seems borderline cocaine level.

“He – Annabeth. Seriously.”

“I know, I know,” she says, and Piper can practically see her expression. Eyes wide, hair a little wild, body practically shaking with nerves. “But I just – I can’t get over the idea that this could go completely wrong.”

Piper pauses, trying to think of what exactly she needs to say to get Annabeth to breathe. “Okay,” she says, “give me the plan.”

Annabeth’s quiet for a minute. “The whole plan?”

“Minute to minute,” Piper says, resigning herself to a table and signaling to Lily that she’s going to be there a while. “I know you have everything planned out, so just tell me. And if there’s anything you should worry about, I’ll tell you.”

“Okay.”

Piper listens to Annabeth for thirty-eight straight minutes, only interjecting when Annabeth asks a question or if she seriously goes off the rails. Details are down to the wire, going to the point of when she’s going to get the Lyft, how long it might take to get there, and what she’d do in the meantime.

“Feeling any better?” Piper asks.

“Actually,” Annabeth says, “I do. But I still don’t have any proof he’ll say yes. Or if I’m doing this too fast. Or – or if this isn’t the right thing.”

“That I can’t help you with,” Piper says, “but keep me posted, okay? Your plan is adorable, and he’s going to love it.”

~

She gets home to see Jason looking kind of exhausted and half dead, and she feels bad for feeling so happy. But not bad enough to stop.

“What’s got you so perky?” Jason asks, his eyes only partially open. Piper realizes he’s probably done nothing but eat saltines and chug Gatorade. The peanut butter is on the table next to him, but there’s only one spoonful taken out of it and it looks like it didn’t help.

“You’ll find out later,” Piper says. “Go back to sleep.”

He smiles at her, and she just loves him more for the dopey look on his face as he walks back to their bedroom, waters, Gatorades, and saltines in his arms, and faceplants into bed.

She joins him, nervous energy coursing through her as she waits for Annabeth to text or call. Though, she muses, it might be Percy who calls around first.

Sure enough, Jason’s phone rings before Piper’s does.

“I wonder who that could be,” Piper says, trying to keep herself from blowing the secret. She checks her watch. “Seven twenty-four. I thought she would have held out for a few more hours.” Given the plan didn’t line up the proposal until about ten thirty, she’s impressed that Annabeth just full on bailed on her meticulous schedule.

Piper tries to keep herself from getting too excited and dopey as she listens to the phone call.

“She WHAT?!” Jason exclaims, sitting up. He winces. “Oh, ow. Hangover.” He listens to something Percy is saying on the phone, looking incredibly enthralled with whatever is going on in the conversation. “That’s – oh my god, she totally got you. Do you think she knew you were planning on proposing? Do you think she figured out our plan.”

That’s when Piper loses it. “The idea that you guys think we didn’t figure all of this out,” she gasps, trying to keep it together enough to speak. “Oh, gods, you two are so transparent.”

Jason turns to her. “You knew?! How did you know?!”

Piper grins at him. “I know everything, babe.” She leans in and kisses him on the cheek. “You should know that by now.”


	3. Propose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And, finally, we have the execution on part of Annabeth. Happy birthday, Wise Girl!

Annabeth is pretty sure that Percy has no idea what’s going on in her head right now. It’s a combination of intense chaos, emotional stress, and mild hunger.

She starts to bounce her knee a little bit, but forces herself to calm down to keep herself from giving away the surprise.

“I’m bored,” she decides to say, even though this is an hour ahead of time. “Want to go get dinner?”

He shrugs. “Sounds good to me. Chipotle?”

Leave it to Percy to pick the least romantic option. “I was thinking that little Italian place a couple blocks down – it’s not that cold so we can walk.”

“You say that,” Percy says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “but then any time we’re outside below fifty degrees all you do is complain.” He shoots her a grin. “California girl.”

“I – it’s not my fault this place is a tundra,” she says, and it takes more effort than it should to keep herself from shaking her finger at him. She feels the way she feels when the other undergrads are being idiots during an important lection: stressed, overwhelmed, way too snippy. “Take a shower,” she says, and to try an avoid a questions as to why a normal dinner out would require looking nice, she adds, “you stink.”

Percy pouts. “We were pulling hose today, and before that was the demonstration.”

Annabeth giggles.

“What?”

“I switched the e and the s,” she says.

Percy rolls his eyes. “And people think I’m the immature one.” She smacks him on the butt, something she doesn’t normally do, and he turns around. “You’re acting weird today.”

“I’m weird every day.”

~

Two hours and a rather fun shower later, they’re both dressed and ready, walking to the restaurant. Annabeth was right, though. Due to a couple choice sacrifices to Zeus and to Khione (which included some serious apology on behalf of Jason, Piper, and Leo), the weather is manageable. She’s in a black pair of boots, a green dress Percy picked out for her years ago, and her long winter coat. They don’t even need gloves as they strolls the streets, and Annabeth got to forgo the hat, which means her hair is tamed for once in her life.

“So what about this place is so desirable today?” Percy asks, swinging her hands as they walk.

“They have really good eggplant parmesan, according to Grover,” Annabeth says, “and, if they can do that well, they can probably do chicken parm well, too.”

Percy’s face lights up. “Do they have good bread?”

She laughs. “Percy, it’s an Italian place. They have to have good bread.”

As they walk into the subtly lit restaurant, candles aflame in hidden corners, tables nestled away from the doors, quiet chatter punctuated but loving glances, Annabeth is struck with the importance of tonight. Percy follows the hostess first, and Annabeth gets a look at him silhouetted in the light, she chokes up. She won’t cry now. If she cries now, she’ll mess up the plan by almost four hours. It’s five thirty. She can’t cave at five thirty.

She just can’t shake how lucky she is to call him hers.

“Alright, and your waiter will be Cindy, and she’ll be over in just a moment to take drink orders,” says the hostess, smile soft and knowing, and Annabeth wonders if she’s got some weird superpower of knowing what’s going through Annabeth’s mind. Or maybe she thinks it’s a first date, from the way Annabeth is acting.

Annabeth hardly remembers dinner. She manages to keep herself together by mentally remodeling the restaurant to fit a brighter, aquatic theme, and that leads to her and Percy talking a lot about fish. Fish. Percy talks so much about fish. Excuse her, aquatic life.

“And then,” Percy says, waving around a forkful of chocolate cake with excitement, “I was the only one to really figure out what was wrong with the manatee, because, you know, fish speak, which was really cool because she was just a teeny, tiny baby.” He pauses, sighing with this light in his eyes that makes Annabeth want to blow every plan she’s ever made and propose right here, right now. “And now she has her medicine to prevent any infection from the brain surgery. There shouldn’t be any lasting damage." He eyes her. “Are you crying?”

Oops. “I just – it’s so good that the manatee was okay. I love manatees.”

“Me too,” Percy says, and he rests a hand over Annabeth. “Love you more, though.”

“Oh, don’t you start,” she laughs. “We both know this conversation could echo forever, so I’ll just say I love you infinity to the power of infinity.”

“Yeah, we usually end up there.” He rubs his thumb along the side of her hand, and Annabeth’s heart starts racing.

“No rush,” says Cindy, dropping off the check, and Annabeth would have fallen off her seat if she didn’t force herself to chill out. Percy gives her a look.

It is in that exact moment that Annabeth realizes she isn’t going to last long enough to do the whole plan. She’s going to pop the question, and she would rather it not be in a busy restaurant where she hadn’t been clever enough to put the ring in a champagne glass or something.

“Home?” Percy asks when they’re outside of the restaurant.

Annabeth shakes her head. “Let’s go to Central Park. I want to go look around.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” he says. “I love how it all looks with the snow, you know? Reminds me of Christmases with my mom when I was little. Before…” He trails off. “Well, it was before you, so it wasn’t that great, really.”

Annabeth wants to keel over and die, because, usually, she can handle the way he just says how he feels about her, but right now it’s really hard.

“I’m just really glad neither of us died,” she replies, and immediately winces. “That was nowhere near as romantic as what you said.”

She feels him kiss the top of her forehead as he laughs.

~

They reach the stop for Central Park and spend the walk to the middle of the park drawing shapes in the snow with their toes and making the other one guess.

“Okay, that’s not fair!” Annabeth says. “You can’t melt the snow into a shape that makes more sense.”

“You should have made clearer rules,” Percy replies, sticking out his tongue. In that moment, Annabeth forgets that she’s in a dress, that there’s snow on the ground, and that they’re supposed to be adults. She runs at him and tackles him to the ground, landing in a snow drift of soft, fresh powder. He’s laughing even before he lands.

“Gods, I love you,” he breathes, brushing hair out of her eyes.

It’s the moment she realizes she can’t wait anymore.

“Stand up,” she says, and, suddenly, her hands are shaking. She pulls him up when he stretches an arm out, but that’s when she takes a deep breath. And goes for it.

“Percy Jackson,” Annabeth says, and it’s kind of hard for her to get on one knee in this dress, but, darn it, she’s going to do the best she can, “we promised each other we weren’t going to let each other go a long time ago.” She grins at him. “A really long time ago, actually. You’ve caught me when I’ve been about to fall and, when you couldn’t catch me, you fell with me. So it’s my turn now. I’m never letting you go again.” She opens up the little box, with a simple, gold band, something so little she knew it wouldn’t get in the way of any sword fighting or firefighting. “So, Perseus Jackson. Will you marry me?”

Percy’s staring at her, still in the snow drift, and he looks shocked for long enough that Annabeth begins to wonder if she read something completely wrong. Maybe he wanted to wait until after they had some more money. Maybe he wanted to wait to get engaged until they’d both graduated college. Were they too young for this?

Before her brain can get too chaotic, Percy drops down next to her in the snow. “You – you’re so annoying,” he laughs. “I was going to do this! Next week!”

She grins at him. “I know. But I wanted to do it first.”

He leans in. “Yes, you obnoxious, perfect, Wise Girl,” he says, “of course I’ll marry you.”

She can’t help it. She leans in to kiss him, pulling him in close by the collar of his shirt, and she doesn’t care if she stretches it out.

“I love you,” she says, “fiancé.”

“Love you too,” he replies, “but you’re still annoying. I can’t believe you snuck this up on me!”

She takes his hand to stand up, grinning at him in the lights. There’s only a few people around here in Central Park, which is kind of surprising, but it is the middle of winter. The few couples around start to clap, and Annabeth pulls him in for another kiss, falling into him like she always wants to.

“So how long do we have to stay here?” Percy asks, voice low and promising. “Because, I mean, I love the scenery, and you look great in that coat, but you’d look better out of it.”

“That’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said,” Annabeth said, “but, yeah. Let’s get home.”

Percy goes to move so fast he catches a foot on the side of a tree root and nearly falls back into the snow.

“Graceful,” Annabeth says, fighting a laugh. “Would you have shown that level of skill proposing?”

“Shut up,” he laughs, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “This makes sense why you were so nervous tonight! I’ve never seen you that antsy.”

“Oh, damn it,” she says, frowning. “I thought I was covering myself pretty well.”

“It wouldn’t have been noticeable to anybody but me, Wise Girl,” he says. “But you almost jumped out of your skin when we got the check, which was a little weird.”

She shrugs. “I mean, it’s really intimidating to propose to such suave guy.”

He pokes her in the side. “Now you’re just teasing me. Did you know, though, why I picked this time?”

She shakes her head. “I picked it because I wanted to propose before I went for that building meeting.”

Percy beams at her, but it doesn’t feel just loving. He looks almost – smug. “Oh, really?”

She nods. “Yes. Why?”

“Next week is the anniversary of when I got you back after you were kidnapped by that manticore.”

She pauses. Dates and times have been weird lately, what with being Georgia, California, New York, and both camps, giving her many different climates, plus Estelle having a graduation ceremony in December for kindergarten so she can go into K+ in January, but Annabeth’s pretty sure Percy is wrong.

“That’s – that’s not possible.”

“It is,” Percy says. “But this means I remembered something you didn’t, and I’m going to be smug about it.”

“I knew you had a smug face!” she exclaims. “Oh, you little – I can’t believe I forgot.”

“Well, you proposed to me,” Percy says, “I guess that makes it up to me.”

They’re back to their apartment as fast as the subway can take them, and Percy takes just a moment to call Jason, who is appropriately gleeful.

Piper texts her, _Jason is over here losing his mind in excitement. He just asked if he can be in the wedding._

Annabeth replies, _That depends on Percy. But I know you’re my maid of honor._

_Now I’m the one crying._

Annabeth laughs and stands up at their stop, and it’s barely minutes before the two of them are all over each other before their door is even closed.

~

She wakes up the next morning tangled around Percy, feeling content and calm, but in dire need of coffee. She walks to the kitchen to get herself a mug and refill Percy’s absurdly huge water bottle, and sets them on their bedside tables. She takes another minute to hang up the dress and her coat, because she has been yelled at by Lacey enough times to know you don’t leave nice stuff like this in a ball on the floor.

“So,” Percy begins, “can I still propose when you get home on Friday?” Annabeth turns to see Percy stretched out on their bed, a lazy, soft smile on his lips and his hands behind his head. She watches as he looks at her, waiting for a response. “Annabeth, you’re staring at me again.”

“Then put away your abs,” she shoots back, but she can’t keep herself from crawling back into bed with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this goofball, fluff fest of a fic. I had a lot of fun with it. Happy birthday, Annabeth!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I might do a sequel where it's Annabeth and Piper's side of the whole thing? Haven't decided yet.


End file.
